A family of four was left homeless Sunday night when a fast-moving fire heavily damaged their 8 Highland Road home.

Thompson Fire Marshal Rick Hayes said owner Lee Waldo explained he had gone to bed when he was awakened at about 11 p.m. by his children, who said they could smell smoke in the house.

“Mr. Waldo said he could smell what he described as something electrical burning in the basement of the house and went outside to check further. He said he could see fire in the basement,” Hayes said.

While Waldo was outside, one of the basement windows shattered, the result of the build-up of heat from the fire. When the window broke, it allowed fresh air into the basement that accelerated the spread of the flames.

Waldo was able to get his wife, Leona, and their two children, a daughter, 21, and a son, 13, whose names were not available, safely out of the house.

East Thompson Fire Chief Jeff Sheldon said the fire was billowing out of the basement and began climbing up the rear of the house onto a porch by the time he reached the scene.

“Within another five or so minutes, the fire had gotten into the kitchen, leaving the entire back section of the house in flames,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon said firefighters set up a tanker shuttle to bring water to the scene. Because Highland Road is a dead-end street running off Route 193, the chief said, a water collection system was set up at the intersection of Route 193 and Highland Road and pumped to trucks at the scene that fed the hoses.

Sheldon said he was pleased with the response from his department and the eight mutual aid companies that assisted in fighting the fire, which was reported to be under control at 1:22 a.m. Monday.

“The first units were on the scene in 13 minutes, which is not bad when you consider we’re all volunteers, and at 11 p.m., a lot of firefighters had to get out of bed, get dressed and then go to the station,” he said.

There were no injuries to firefighters, he said.

Hayes, who investigated with Deputy Fire Marshal James Seney and detectives from the state fire marshal’s office, said the fire, which was ruled accidental, is believed to have started in the area of a light fixture and vent in the basement bathroom.

A representative of the American Red Cross was at the scene to assist the family, according to Hayes.

Firefighters from the Thompson Hill, Community (North Grosvenordale), West Thompson, Quinebaug, East Putnam, Attawaugan and Webster and Dudley, Mass., departments assisted East Thompson firefighters in battling the blaze.